Slow Cooker Risotto - Chicken and Mushroom

A bowl of risotto with mushrooms, chicken, bacon and sundried tomatoes.

Slow Cooker Risotto - Chicken and Mushroom

Make this hands-off slow cooker risotto whenever you’re after something easy, creamy and comforting! Loaded with tender chicken, smoky bacon, mushrooms and loads of fresh parmesan, it makes a delicious weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.

5 from 50 votes

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian, Slow Cooker Recipe

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 2 20

Total Time: 2 30

Servings: people

Calories: 597kcal

Author: Lucy - Bake Play Smile

Cost: $15

Equipment

Stove-top
slow cooker (crock pot)

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil
20 g (2 tbs) butter
400 g mushrooms sliced
1 brown onion medium, finely chopped
350 g chicken thigh fillets cut into bite-sized pieces
75 g bacon chopped
2 garlic cloves minced (or 2 tsp minced garlic)
100 g sun-dried tomatoes chopped
1 ½ cups arborio rice
750 g (3 cups) chicken liquid stock
50 g baby spinach

For serving

50 g grated parmesan cheese
30 g butter
freshly chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place the olive oil and butter into the pot of a searing slow cooker and place over high heat on the stove-top.
If you don't have a searing slow cooker, use a frying pan for this step instead.
Add the mushrooms and onion and saute until the mushrooms are golden and all of the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated.
Add the chopped chicken and bacon and brown all over. Continue cooking until all of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.
Place the searing slow cooker pot into the base of the slow cooker (or if using a frying pan, carefully pour the frying pan ingredients into the slow cooker).
Stir through the arborio rice and the liquid chicken stock.
Cook on LOW for 2 hours or until the rice is al dente.
Stir through the baby spinach, grated parmesan cheese and butter.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with fresh parsley.

Notes

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS:

Sear first - it's important to brown the chicken and cook the mushrooms, bacon and onion before placing into the slow cooker. If you don't have a searing slow cooker (with a pot that can be placed directly onto the stove-top), you can fry the ingredients in a frying pan and then place them into your slow cooker.
Arborio rice - undergoes less processing than long grain rice and retains more of its natural starch content, which makes it perfect for risotto dishes. Cooking arborio rice releases this starch, resulting in a firmer and chewier rice and creamier sauce. Long grain rice will typically turn mushy and not give you the same results, but it can be used if this is all you have. Just keep an eye on the cooking times, as they will vary.
If your risotto is a little dry - add a splash of water to loosen the rice before stirring through the spinach, parmesan and butter.
This risotto will take around 2 hours on ‘low’ setting. All slow cookers are different, so start checking it at the 1-hour mark and give it a stir every 30 minutes or so, until the sauce is creamy and the rice is al dente.
Wait to season until the end - as the bacon and parmesan will add some saltiness, it’s best to test and then add salt and pepper to taste.
Storage - risotto is best eaten fresh, soon after it is made, however, leftovers can be kept in the fridge and reheated later for lunch or dinner. To reheat, add a little extra chicken stock (a few tablespoons should be enough) and reheat it in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time. Reheat until piping hot.

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